First time sailing bareboat in the BVI – 1 week itinerary

Having done a cabin charter in BVI last year, I got just a small taste of how amazing a destination it is and decided I needed to get some friends together and head back there as soon as possible. There was 8 of us in total and we chartered a Lagoon 400 with a skipper for one week this past June, and the whole group has agreed that this was their favorite vacation to date!

For the other 7 members of the group, this was their first trip to BVI and it certainly did not disappoint. With a great boat, fun people, an amazing skipper and beautiful weather, how could it not be? Our itinerary at a glance was as follows:

Tortola, arrive at base

Bitter End Yacht Club, Virgin Gorda – The Baths

Anegada – Cow Wreck Beach

Trellis Bay (Full Moon Party)

Jost Van Dyke – Soggy Dollar, Foxy’s

Norman Island – The Indians, the Caves, Willy T’s

Peter Island and Cooper Island

Tortola, return to base

We flew into St. Thomas on a Friday and took the last ferry of the day over to Road Town to get on our boat. We had ordered the bulk of our provisioning online and it was on the boat waiting for us when we arrived, along with the kayak and paddleboard we had ordered. We picked up the rest of our provisioning and spent the first night at the dock getting settled in. First thing the next morning we headed straight to the Baths and spent most of the afternoon exploring the caves and rock formations then lounging on the beach. It was a great way to kick off the vacation and since we got there early in the day it was not overly crowded. We spent that night at Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda. We went ashore to eat in one of the restaurants and grab some drinks, but called it an early night as we were going to be making the trip to Anegada first thing in the morning.

By the time everyone was awake the next morning, our captain already had us on our way to Anegada. Some rough seas and a strong wind made for a quick, but less than smooth trip, so we were all eager to spend some time on the land once we reached Anegada. We hopped in a taxi and spent the entire day at Cow Wreck Beach. We had the beach and the bar, pretty much to ourselves. We got to know the local bartenders and played some pool, all while enjoying one of the most beautiful beaches any of us had ever seen.

The next day we headed back to Tortola to spend the night in Trellis Bay for the full moon party. We reached Trellis Bay by about Noon and it was already packed with boats eager for the festivities. We spent the night ashore enjoying the exciting music, crafts, dancing, food and drinks with lots of other sailors and locals. It definitely lived up to the hype!

The group was in need of some relaxation time the next day, so we made a stop at Guana Island to explore the beach and swim. Later in the day we headed to Soggy Dollar in Jost Van Dyke which was packed with people drinking, swimming and enjoying the beautiful weather. That night we of course went straight to Foxy’s, which was disappointingly very empty as it was mid-week, but with a group of 8 we managed to have a good time regardless.

Next stop was Norman Island to check out the much anticipated Willy T’s, and with a birthday to celebrate in the group it was the perfect day to spend there. First we did some snorkeling around the Indians and then the caves, which both boasted tons of unique fish and made for some great underwater photos. Right after lunch we decided to head over to Willy T’s for some afternoon drinks and a swim and of course returned there after dinner that night. For a group of 20-somethings, this was overwhelmingly the favorite stop of the trip.

The next and final day, everyone just wanted to relax. We stopped at Peter Island and had a nice sit down lunch at the resort and enjoyed the beautiful and empty beach. Our last night was spent at Cooper Island, with some drinks in the nice and friendly resort ashore before reluctantly returning to base first thing in the morning.

BVI was a perfect place for a first charter and an ideal place to head with a group of friends to have fun and unwind. Overall it was a perfect vacation and everyone is eager to start planning our return there!